1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a novel composition and use thereof for insect control. More particularly, the invention relates to a composition of (E,Z)-8,10-pentadecadien-1-ol acetate and (E)-9-pentadecen-1-ol acetate, and use of the composition as an attractant, mating disruptant, and monitoring agent for the cranberry fruitworm.
2. Description of the Art
The cranberry fruitworm, Acrobasis vaccinii Riley, is a member of the Pyralidae family of the Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies). It occurs throughout the United States and Canada wherever its host plants occur. It is the most important pest of cranberries and blueberries and is capable of decimating these crops. Other host plants include huckleberries, dangle-berries, beach plums, and apples.
The cranberry fruitworm overwinters as a diapausing larva in a hibemaculum and is univoltine. A larva typically consumes 5-8 berries (Brodel and Roberts, Cranberry Fruitworm, Extension Bulletin, University of Massachusetts, East Wareham, Mass.). No attractant or pheromone has been known heretofore for the cranberry fruitworm, therefore, it was not possible to know, prior to crop damage, if cranberries, blueberries, or other host plants were infested with this insect, or whether or not control measures were required. What is needed is an effective attractant for detecting, monitoring and controlling this pest.